Peppermint Moonbeams
by QueenDromeda
Summary: Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood were roommates. Two people that shared nothing but an apartment and a mutual, platonic friendship. And maybe they also shared a mutual, decidedly non-platonic crush on each other. And maybe with the new holiday season something could come from their hopeless pinning. These are, of course, just maybes. - Luna/Hermione & Muggle!AU, Drabbles, Hiatus
1. fairy dust, tinsel, and tea

For the Harry Potter Christmas Collection Competition with Luna/Hermione and the prompt _festive_.

Muggle!AU, in which all Hogwarts students are overworked college kids, gayer than ever, and somehow all from Britain but in America for various reasons. Hopefully this will all be part of a larger collection of works soon, about everyone's misadventures in this universe.

Please review!

* * *

Despite the plethora of things people could say about Luna Lovegood, undedicated was not one of them. Wearing an oversized Christmas sweater, covered in Santa, his reindeer, _and_ blinking lights, her holiday spirit was clearly seen. Luna, herself, was dressed not so much for her obnoxious customers, but more for the look of pure shock that would hopefully materialize on her roommate's face upon seeing her.

Still chortling at that thought she leaned against the doorframe of her apartment. She must have looked like the very face of Christmas with her holiday attire, and a paper cup of steaming tea tucked in the crook of her elbow, as she fought to get her key to turn in the knob.

When the key finally moved, she entered the space with a smile on her lips and a singsong tone escaping her mouth, "Hermione," she drew the name out, "I'm home."

There was no answer. If Luna was anyone else she would have been pleased at the silence, the bustle and noise that came with being a retail worker on Black Friday was more than exhausting and quiet was more than appreciated. But Luna was not anyone else. After setting down her quilted tote bag she moved deeper into the apartment.

"'Mione you better not have been studying all day. Honestly, you tease whenever I research my creatures, but as soon as you start reading dusty history textbooks you-"

Her words cut off as she found a very much asleep Hermione curled on their worn down couch, her hair tangling around her head in a makeshift halo. Something inexplicable, even to the girl who could explain it all, stirred in her stomach. With a soft smile on her face, she set the cup down on the coffee table, before nudging her friend.

"Come'on, time to wake up," Luna said lowly, and after a few more pokes and shakes the bushy-haired girl was awake.

Always chipper after a nap, Hermione groggily rubbed at her eyes, "What the fu-?"

Luna smacked her on the shoulder, "I think I should start a swear jar. Maybe one for huffing and eye rolling, too."

"It's too early for this," snuggling deeper into the couch, she scrunched her eyes, "Why are you so sparkly?"

"Oh," Luna touched her face, remembering the glitter covered decorations that passed through her hands all day, "Fairy dust."

"Of course, what else could it have been. And what about the streamers in your hair?"

Her eyebrows lowered slightly, "Tinsel. The shine's supposed to get dwarfs attention."

Hermione pursed her lips at the last comment, taking all of Luna in, "You certainly look festive. Did Parkinson have a stroke? Wasn't she planning on being the most Christmasy?"

"Thank you," She smiled, "Pansy was fine, but I think my supervisor was stuck by Medusa momentarily."

That got a laugh out of her roommate, "Wonderful, if only his transformation was permanent. Snape is a bast-"

Luna cleared her throat.

"A jerk," she relented, "You look nice, though. Almost makes me wish I went out to the store to see you. Almost. I bet the crowds were suffocating, so it's probably best I didn't. I wouldn't have wanted to accidentally kill someone."

"I'm sure I'd be able to stop you. I go to school with pretentious classmates who can't tell the difference between Valkyries and Keres, weekly. And I deal with you uncaffeinated on a daily basis. A murderous rampage would probably be a walk in the park."

Hermione pushed herself up, "Speaking of caffeine-"

"An elf dropped by earlier," Luna interrupted, grabbing and pushing the tea into the other girl's hands.

"I love you," Hermione murmured, in between sips, "How would I live without you feeding my caffeine-addiction."

A warmth passed through her at the love comment, but instead of commenting on it, she smiled happily, "What else are friends for?"

o0o

Words: 645


	2. scorned by gingerbread

For the Harry Potter Christmas Collection Competition with the prompt _gingerbread_.

* * *

"You need to control your roommate," Ginny Weasley said, walking into the living room of Hermione's apartment.

Hermione blinked up at her from her spot on the couch, "Oh, hello Ginny. I'm good, thanks for asking. Would you like to come in?"

The redhead collapsed on the other side of the couch, on top of her feet, "I thought you were past those silly pleasantries. Or at least past expecting them. I think all that dusty history rattling around in your head is erasing the history you're creating by existing."

"Maybe," She shrugged, "But at least I have history rattling around in my head. Apparently, Ron's beginning to think-"

Ginny pressed her weight down on her feet, making Hermione wince, "That's where I'll stop you. Anything that Ron thinks is going on is, per usual, wrong. Besides, I didn't come here to talk about my idiot brother. I came here to talk about your menace of a roommate."

"Luna and menace are not not two words I see used together often."

"She baked me cookies," the younger girl exclaimed.

Hermione stared, "The horror."

"Just because you haven't had enough caffeine today doesn't give you a pass to take it out on me," Ginny glared, "Besides, you don't understand. She gave me gingerbread cookies. Shaped like people. She gave me gingerbread men."

"And that makes her a menace?"

"Yes!" She huffed, "It means I'm trapped in a competition of outdoing her in holiday cheer, and everyone knows she'd the very definition of holiday cheer!"

Trying to pull her feet out from under the bonier girl, she rolled her eyes, "What do I have to do with this? It's not like I control Luna or anything."

"I don't know, snog whatever sense that's left in her, out of her or something. Just get her off my back long enough so I can win this thing."

"Ginevra!" Hermione shouted, wide-eyed.

"What? The sexual tension rolls of you two in tangible waves. It would probably be a lot healthier to just kiss and get it over with it."

Hermione still sputtered, "I cannot believe you would… How could you even suggested… I would never-"

"You so would," Ginny laughed, reaching over a grabbing the remote, "Eventually you'll get your head out of your arse and figure it out."

Hermione sulked, snuggling deeper into the couch, "You're incorrigible."

"No lie there. Still doesn't change the fact you want to snog Luna."

Left without a response to that, she just muttered, "Put on Jessica Jones," and pretended to ignore her friends smirk.

o0o

Words 440


	3. deflection tactics and devil cats

For the Harry Potter Christmas Collection Competition with the prompt _"the two most joyous times of the year are Christmas morning and the end of school."_

I'm progressively trying to get Luna's character down, but it's certainly a work in progress. If anyone has suggestion's I'd be thrilled to hear them. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Luna sniffled. She tilted her nose upwards to keep from looking even sicker than she felt, her fingers moving nimbly among the taped mess she was creating. It was going to be the first Christmas that Hermione and her shared since the history major moved in around the same time last year, and everything had to be perfect. Even the process of wrapping presents.

Something she had no skill in.

At all.

Clenching her fingers tighter as another crease appeared in the paper, she used her shoulder to rub her nose. She was positive that a customer contributed to her sickly state, and positive that Severus would talk her out taking a sick day if she didn't nip it in the bud today.

"Phooey!" she cursed, as the paper tore under her fingers.

Across the room Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, peered at her from his perch. Whatever he saw, must have interested him as he hopped down, making his way to her spot on the floor.

"No you don't cat," Luna scooted farther away, "There's no doctor Asclepius here to save me from your fur and dandruff and _shedding_."

Crookshanks meowed, his tail swinging tauntingly as he came closer.

"You are so going to be on the naughty list," she glowered, a half-sneeze following, "Crooks, how could you betray me like this!"

A familiar laugh came from the adjacent kitchen, "Why are you on the floor?"

Luna swung around, sure she looked beyond frazzled, "Your cat should be renamed. I think Lucifer would be more apt."

"Like in Cinderella? Not everything has to be related to a fairytale, you know," Hermione shook her head, scooping up her cat as she walked into the living room.

Luna herself scrambled up, kicking the present behind a conveniently placed potted plant as she did, "You're home early."

The other girl smiled, "Ah yes. The two most joyous times of the year are Christmas morning and the end of school after all."

"Only you have to go back to school after break," the blonde smiled.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Still gives me time to do my independent study and hold the fort down while you're at work. Besides if I get far enough into my research Lavender won't be able to drag me home to see my parents."

"They miss you," Luna said, earnest.

"How would you know?"

The _because I would miss you_ went unsaid, instead she titled her head, "The Seelie Queen told me."

Hermione pressed her lips together, petting Crookshanks who purred relentlessly, "Poor answer. The fae may not be able to lie, but they also don't have to give the full truths."

Luna was quiet for a moment, before changing the subject, "If I made you a quilt would you prefer patchwork or beekeeper?"

The other girl laughed, "You can't sew Luna!"

That was enough for the moment.

o0o

Words: 479


	4. a pining girl

For the Harry Potter Christmas Collection Competition with the prompt _maroon_.

This is very sad. It was supposed to be cute (and a little angsty) with a sleepy Luna but instead this happened. Hermione and Luna are both oblivious, pining nerds, but don't worry Ginny will set them straight eventually. Please tell me what you think!

* * *

Words did not fail Hermione very often. Usually she could blurt out a soliloquy on par with the one's that Shakespeare littered his works with; her phrases perfectly pronounced and the point she wanted to show clearly illuminated. Words were her only escape when she was younger, and words were her saving grace when applying to a university in a foreign country. She would not be who she was today without the words she'd read and raved over, molding her into herself. In her opinion, words were the only things that could never fail her.

At least, that's what she thought before Luna Lovegood came into her life.

Hermione would not be so dramatic as to say that Luna saved her. Did she help her a great a deal and keep her from diving so completely into her studies that she forgot to eat or sleep? Yes, but she would do the same for anyone else.

That was the part of the problem. Hermione, in her ultimate show of selfishness, didn't want Luna to help anyone else like that. She wanted Luna for herself, completely. The other part of the problem was that she couldn't vocally portray that to her friend. The words that helped her through so much, wouldn't form into eloquent enough sentences Then whenever she gathered the courage to spill the secret Luna would give her a look, and she'd blush a red darker than the maroon Christmas sweaters Luna fancied, before choking on the "I love you," still lodged in her throat.

Now, nearly eight months since she'd discovered that she had a huge crush on her roommate, it was their first Christmas. All the Hallmark movies were telling her that this was the time to go out and construct a huge gesture of romance for the girl. Luna herself kept busy by being as sweet as sugar, making Hermione weak at the knees and overly embarrassed that she felt this way to someone who only saw her as a friend.

But maybe Hallmark was right on some front. Maybe, with the magic of the holiday's, Luna would come to like her as more than a friend.

Maybe the word's would unlodge themselves from her throat and she'd finally tell the blonde, "I love you," in a way that couldn't be waved off as gals being pals.

Of course, Hermione was never good at placing stock in maybe's.


End file.
